49ers: Live Week 14 thread versus the Texans

In a Week 14 matchup, the 2-10 San Francisco 49ers take on the 4-8 Houston Texans. Niner Noise has all your updates from the game, as well as analysis and your comment thread.

Jimmy Garoppolo is here.

The third-year signal-caller is finally getting his first shot at helming a team, and so far he is passing with flying colors.

A late touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in his brief stint in Week 12— followed up with a thoroughly impressive performance facing the Chicago Bears last week that was capped off with a 14-play, 86-yard drive to win the game — has enamored Garoppolo’s teammates and made him a quick fan favorite.

Next up for Garoppolo are the Houston Texans, who have lost their past two games. It is also Garoppolo’s second consecutive start on the road.

As always, Niner Noise has your in-game thread with scoring updates and a comment thread you can participate in at the bottom of the article.

Follow along with us, as the 49ers seek to get their third victory of the season.

First Quarter

San Francisco received the ball to open the game. It was a short drive for the 49ers, who went three-and-out.

The Houston offense was able to push the ball into San Francisco territory, but settled for the 55-yard field goal. The Texans were up 3-0 at the 9:02 mark in the first quarter.

And there was Garoppolo’s first big mistake as a starter — his errant overthrow of wide receiver Trent Taylor fell into the hands of cornerback Kareem Jackson.

An excellent response from the 49ers defense, as defensive lineman Earl Mitchell stopped running back LaMar Miller in the backfield on the Texans’ 4th-and-1 attempt.

The turnover-on-downs was wasted by the San Francisco offense on the ensuing drive, who again were forced to punt. At the end of the first quarter, Houston is up 3-0. That now means the 49ers have failed to score a touchdown in the opening quarter in 10 consecutive games.

Second Quarter

The San Francisco defense continued its strong start to the game, with another punt by the Texans.

Feeble — that is how I would describe the offensive display being put on by the 49ers right now. Four drives have resulted in three punts and an interception.

Not a good sign as linebacker Reuben Foster was down on the field with an apparent injury. But the defense was able to force another punt, giving the ball back to San Francisco.

Despite wide receiver Marquise Goodwin’s 32-yard reception to put the 49ers in Houston territory, wide receiver Louis Murphy Jr.’s penalty stalled the drive out. Robbie Gould’s 52-yard field goal was good to tie the game at 3-3 with 6:31 left in the second quarter.

Foster is back in the game — so obviously was not a serious injury.

The Texans punted once again on the next drive, and the San Francisco offense finally showed some signs of life as running back Carlos Hyde punches into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run.

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was instrumental on that scoring drive, finishing with two receptions for 60 yards. The 49ers are up 10-3 with 2:32 left in the second quarter.

There was a change at quarterback for Houston with T.J. Yates coming in, and it might be for the better as the Texans scored on their first drive with Yates right before halftime. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins added to his big day with a seven-yard touchdown. Hopkins now has seven receptions for 91 yards and that one score.

Even though San Francisco had less than a minute to work with in the half, the offense was able to still to move quickly down the field and put points on the board. Gould’s 35-yard field goal has the 49ers leading 13-9 at halftime.

Third Quarter

It is the DeAndre Hopkins Show. The opening drive of the second half was all Hopkins, who capped it off with a 29-yard touchdown reception. Hopkins is up to 10 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

San Francisco was able to march into the red zone on receptions of 10 and 13 yards by Goodwin, but were unable to finish it off with a touchdown. Gould’s 25-yard field goal was good to tie the game at 16-16 with 8:12 left in the third quarter.

After the Texans punted, the 49ers offense pieced together its best drive of the game. Starting at their 15-yard line, tight end Brent Celek’s 61-yard reception put San Francisco in the red zone. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne’s 18-yard reception then placed the 49ers inside the 10-yard line, where Celek finished what he started with a six-yard touchdown catch.

That is Garoppolo’s second touchdown since joining San Francisco, his first as a starter. Garoppolo is now 17-29 for 299 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

At the end of the third quarter, the 49ers lead the Texans 23-16.

Fourth Quarter

To open the fourth quarter, the two teams have exchanged three punts. With 6:31 left in the game, Houston started with the ball at their own 21-yard line.

On the next drive, rookie safety Adrian Colbert executed a perfect tackle on Hopkins and forced a fumble. Defensive lineman Aaron Lynch was able to jump on top of if, giving the 49ers possession with only 5:40 left.

Gould drilled his fourth field goal of the game with a 41-yard kick to make it 26-16 at the 3:50 mark in the fourth quarter.

That was the final score of the game, as kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed an attempt late in the game and Garoppolo lined up the 49ers in victory formation.

Final statistics:

• Garoppolo: 20-33, 334 yards (career high), one touchdown, one interception.
• Hyde: 14 carries, 78 yards, one touchdown.
• Goodwin: Six receptions, 106 yards.
• Celek: Two receptions, 67 yards, one touchdown.

San Francisco scored 13 unanswered points, move to 3-10 on the season.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Don’t worry about Jimmy Garoppolo in the red zone

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